Baseball Endeavors to Raise Scores by CIF

VINCENT LIN
Sports Editor

Nearing the end of Almont League, the varsity baseball team is passing through all the stages of definitive season progress, from a slow start, to soaring scores, to midseason difficulties and, hopefully, recovery. Reaching a steady 11-1 league record, the Moors are ready to enter the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) with optimal chances.
The team is proud of their hitting abilities, which have been strong from the start, as the team batting average is higher than in previous years. According to Head Coach Steve Gewecke, their defense has also been tough, with many of the players able to throw outs. These qualities garnered pleasing results, until they had somewhat slackened around the middle of league.
Most notably since the loss of their third game against Montebello, the players tended to lose momentum in many areas, even though they defeated the Oilers the first two times. The Moors were up 4-0 at first, but left numerous runners on base, threw few strikes and allowed many opponents to walk bases, leaving them in a 4-8 deficit. Although they are now on a winning streak, Gewecke has seen this pattern appear still in following games.
“We need to find a way to keep the offense consistent. We have to do the same stuff [in practice] but with a different approach, so the kids don’t get mentally tired,” said Gewecke.
Their latest games against Bell Gardens, Mark Keppel and San Marino have yielded victories with lower scores than before, winning with only three to seven points. Despite the addition to their record, the scores do not represent their potential for CIF. According to pitcher and outfielder Jose Amezquita, it is only a matter of improving their mood in order to raise themselves back up.
“We know not to let our guard down and give up early in the game. We just need more life on the bench and to pick each other up when we need to,” said Amezquita.